2020
2020 - Art unites and connects
I have been focussed for a long time on investigating how my Art can have the power to unite and connect people.
Since march 2020, when the lockdown here in Spain started, it has become more obvious to me that Art has even more power to unite and connect in times of crisis.
Art certainly has connected me more to myself, during long walks in nature I have made many photographs of staged still lifes. Also I have iniciated some new projects.
“Bringing people together, inspiring, soothing and sharing: these are the powers of art, the importance of which has been made emphatically obvious during the COVID-19 pandemic”, said Audrey Azoulay, the head of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
I have been working on the following projects:
CONFINEMENT PHOTOGRAPHY
Living in the mountains has permitted me to take long walks in nature during the 3 months of confinement.
These walks with my camera have been healing moments of meditation and going with the flow.
Each time I took different images with me and during the hike the playful side of me took over.
With nature as a backdrop, I’ve created still lifes juxtaposing elements. during theses alienating times, I’ve questioned my perception of reality and my interpretation of reality. From this interrogation were born paper stones, flower eyes, moss galaxies and more imagined magical realities.
All photographs are made in situ and I have not used any digital manipulation afterwards.
TRIBUTES
At the end of this year, I’ll have two exhibitions in the MUME; Museum of Exile in Catalonia. One of the exhibitions will show photographed still lives for which I have used objects that belonged to my ancestors. The other exhibition is participatory:
I invite you to participate by sharing a photo of an object that has a personal meaning to you, and that has provided guidance at some point in your life.
Objects can be something to hold on, to give us comfort, hope, resilience, a purpose or a sense of connection when they are associated with an experience that has a major impact on our lives, especially in times of crisis and transition, such as war, exile, political repression, COVID-19, a loss or any shocking situation we have experienced.
Is there an object that contains an attached memory, value, or personal meaning to you? Maybe it’s an object that belonged to your ancestors, with a family history, or maybe it’s an object that you acquired or that came to you at some point in your life.
MURMUR
MURMUR (Remor) has rised from shared memories around a space: the comunal washing place. A public space where the murmur of water and the voices of women and children gave warmth to a weekly ritual: doing the laundry.
With Remor we want to vindicate this historic public space where women did a dignifying job. They have become our stage for performative interventions.
We want to provoke reflection and debate on the loss of public spaces as a place for sharing and for empowerment, and on the role of women and men in the society of the past and the present.
An important part of this project is the possibility of the public to participate. The questions we include in the exhibition can be answered by writing personal answers on papers that can be hung on the ‘washing lines’.
REMOR: Un projecte de Gràcia del Ruste i Petra Vlasman
Instagram: @remorsafareig